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Stakeholders on Wednesday called for proper regulation, monitoring and adequate data collation as invaluable elements in creating a Smart Cities for Nigeria.
They made the call during a panel discussion at the conclusion of the two-day Smart Cities Summit in Abuja with the theme, ‘Leveraging on Technology Solutions to Improve the Efficiency of Cities’.
TheNewsGuru reports that the summit was organised by the Ministry of Communications to fashion out modalities in establishing smart cities in the country.
According to the stakeholders, as Nigeria witness more urban migration from rural areas, the pressure on scarce and limited infrastructure in its major cities has become apparent, therefore transforming its environment to Smart Cities becomes expedient.
They explained that Smart Cities, unlike conventional ones, offers wide range of services such as public transport service, education, housing, healthcare services, security services, among others.
One of the discussants, Mr Philipp Bodenhausen, the Chief Business Development Officer, HSH Global Holding said that government must look into proper regulation formulation if the smart cities vision must be a reality.
Bodenhausen said that for government to get it right, regulations be formatted and all stakeholders must abide by such laws to achieve the set goals.
“There must be strong political will on the part of all stakeholders to see to it that the laws and rules are obeyed.”
Another panelist, Mr Samuel Orji said that there must be a wholistic look at infrastructural development, effective governance as well as stakeholders engagement in designing a Smart City roadmap.
Also, another panelist, Mr Miebaka Adoki, the Managing Director of Habittera Smart Cities stressed the need for adequate implementation plan in building Smart Cities.
He added that economic and energy security should be given absolute priority and consideration in the implementation program phase of such projects.
The two-day summit brought together multi-stakeholders, who took critical look at the preparedness, unique challenges and emerging solutions necessary for sustainable smart city initiative in Nigeria.
The stakeholders that participated at the summit include Huawei Nigeria, Hwelett Packard, Galaxy Backbone, MainOne Nigeria, SmartCities Plc.
Others include National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigeria Communication Commission, UN-Habitats.